Our Story

To better understand this website it helps to better understand our story. So here it is.

A Typical American Family

Our story is not that much different than any other American family. A typical day is a follows:

Get up (sometimes late) rush the kids to get dressed, brush teeth, eat breakfast, find their __________ (fill in the blank with homework, shoes, belt, socks, project, etc). Arrive at school with just enough time to stop the car before the kids jump out.

Go to the office to deal with _____________ (fill in the blank with customers, employees, vendors, etc) problems.

Go get the kids from school, typically at different times due to after school activities, and take them back to the office to work more.

Eat dinner separately and typically unhealthy as you try to complete any unfinished homework.

Get the kids ready for bed as you juggle housework and the thousands of questions the kids have.

Then after the kids are finally in bed you can go BACK to work from home to finish anything that you did not do during the day and know you want have time to do tomorrow.

Then around 11:00 – 12:00 you pass out from exhaustion with the thoughts of getting to do it again tomorrow.

As many of you will probably agree, this is a typical American family with kids. But you may be wondering what this has to do with an RVing Road Trip? Keep reading to find out.

In the Beginning, there was a Tent

Our camping adventures started out with a rental tent in 2001. Our first trip went pretty good and we later purchased our own tent and took several more short trips around the beautiful Carolina mountains.

Then one day while camping in Pigeon Forge, TN a storm came up and while in our tent a tree fell very near to us. It was scary and we quickly made the decision if we are going to do this much more we needed something a little more secure.

The following year, 2002, we made the leap and purchased a 1998 Coleman Grandview pop up camper. With its 2 king size beds, frig, toilet, shower, indoor/outdoor stove, slide, A/C, etc we thought we were in heaven. Camping was now very comfortable and we went a lot the first couple years of owning the pop up.

Our youngest son, Carson was born in 2003 and camping with a newborn created larger packing needs even for a weekend getaway. Carson took his first camping trip at the age of 9 weeks and has enjoyed it since. Several years passed and we found ourselves going less and less every year. We had been to a lot of places close to home and were starting to get a little tired of the same places and the setup time of the pop up.

In early 2008 we made the decision to upgrade to something larger and easier for quick stops and longer trips. Therefore, we purchased our 2005 Fleetwood Pegasus travel trailer. This would end up being the start of a whole new set of adventures to come.

Key West, FL: A Life Changing Experience

In March 2008 we took an 11 night road trip with the kids to Key West, FL for spring break. This was without a doubt the best family trip we had ever taken. It wasn’t because Key West is so beautiful but rather the experience of traveling a long distance for an extended time in an RV. No hotels, no rushing, grilling out and all the home like amenities you get from bringing your home with you. You can learn more about this trip by reading our blog post about Key West.

New Perspective on Life

Here are some things we have discovered about life:

Everything you need to live a comfortable and happy life can fit in a 30 ft camper. During our trip there was absolutely nothing we wished we would have had. During the drive back it really hit me that we spend our life buying stuff, repairing stuff, organizing stuff, looking for stuff, cleaning stuff, picking up stuff, storing stuff and finally selling and giving away stuff. Most of this we never needed nor did it ever bring any joy to our life.

Kids are only kids for a short period of our life. If you miss this time there are no “do overs”. If you blink you will miss the time and opportunity to create memories that will last a lifetime. No one has ever looked back and said “I wish I would have worked more”. It is always “I wish i would have spent more time with the kids”.

Home is anywhere your family is. Home is not the “stick and brick” building full of your “stuff” (see my comments on stuff above). It is not necessarily on a solid foundation that does not move. It is anywhere you are or anything your in that is keeping the rain off your head.

You are not promised tomorrow. Most people live life working, planning and saving for retirement. Only to find that they don’t live to retirement or have enough quality health to enjoy it. I learned this from my father who got cancer at 45 and died at 55. He never had the opportunity to do whatever it was he had worked, planned and saved to do. I have determined that whatever it is you want to do you better do it TODAY.

Sweetie, Let’s go full time for a year!

Beginning on the way back from Key West and through out the following months I started planting the seed in my wife’s mind that we needed to take a year and do something different (some people would say totally crazy). She has always loved camping as much or more than me so I knew I wouldn’t have to convience her. The issue is that changing your life takes time ecspecially when you are small business owners like we are. There are so many things to figure out and work out that it almost seems like an impossible idea. From how to run our business remotely to road schooling our kids, we have a lot to consider. But as time continues to pass there truely doesn’t seem to be an other destiny than a year long road trip.

All in Favor say “I”

After several months of thinking we have made the decision to work towards making this year long road trip a reality. We are currently working on the details needed to leave in June 2009 when the kids finish the school year. We know our plans could change at any time and we may have to cancel the whole thing. But for now, IT’S A GO!!